Clamp for tailorsj tables



(No Modem 0. E. ERIOKSON.

CLAMP FOR TAILOHS TABLES.

No. 430,573. Patented June 17, 1890.

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; UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. ERICKSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLAMP FOR TAILORS TABLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,573, dated June 17,1890.

Application filed February 21, 1890- Serial No. 341,231. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. ERICKSON, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Clamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in clamps for holding cloth ontailors marking or cutting tables, or for like uses.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointedout in the ap pended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is aperspective View of a spring embodying the same. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview of a tailors table with clamps like that shown in Fig. 1 appliedthereto. Fig. 3 is a detail section of one end of the clamp shown inFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a modified form of the catchon the clamp.

As shown in said drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A indicates a strip ofspring metal, preferably steel, which is bent or curved so as to standnormally in the position shown in Fig. 1. The strip A is made of alength approximately equal to the width of the table with which it is tobe used. At one end of said strip is a projecting hook B at the convexside of the strip and adapted to engage the edge of the table to whichthe clamp is to be applied. The said hook may be made and secured to thestrip in any manner found convenient or desirable. As herein shown, itis made integral with the strip by bending the end of the same into acurved or U form.

C is a catch, which is in an obvious manner attached pivotally to theend of the strip A opposite to that at which the hook B is located. Saidcatch 0, as shown in said Figs. 1, 2, and 3, comprises a shank O, whichis engaged with the strip, an arm 0 upon the shank, adapted to engagethe under surface of the table, and a lever or handle 0 which may begrasped by the hand for moving the catch to engage it with and disengageit from the table. The arm 0 of the catch is located at the convex oroutwardly-curved side of the strip, while the handle or lever C islocated at the concave side thereof.

The shank O is pivotally connected with the strip A in such manner as toturn about an axis perpendicularly to the flat face of the strip, or, inother words, the catch is hinged or pivoted to the strip in such mannerthat the arm C of the catch maybe moved or turned in a plane parallelwith the flat face a shoulder 0 opposite the shoulder c and in contactwith the strip, to hold the shank perpendicular to the strip.

In the operation of the clamp described, when-it is desired to clam p alayer or several layers of cloth upon the table, the hook B of the clampis engaged with the edge of the table, the strip being placed upon thetable with its convex side against the cloth thereon. The opposite endof the strip is then pressed toward the table, so as to straighten outthe curved strip, until the arm 0 of the catch 0 comes in position toengage the under surface of the t. ble. The strip is made of such lengththat the shank C will come close to one edge of the table when the hookB is engaged with the opposite edge thereof, and before the end of thestrip carrying the catch is brought or swung toward the table the catchis turned so that its arm 0 stands transverse to or away from the strip.After the hook end of the strip has been pressed toward the table asufficient distance to bring the upper or inner surface of the arm 0 inthe same plane with the under surface of the table the catch is turneduntil said arm engages the edge of the table, when the clamp will besecurely locked in place. The clamp is easily released when desired byturning the handle of the catch 0 until the arm 0 thereof is free fromthe table.

The clamp is herein shown as applied to a many-sided revolving table, Dfor the pur IOC pose of holding piles of marked cloth in readiness forcutting upon the sides (Z cl d of said table when the table is rotatedor turned on its axis. In such a table piles of cloth may be placed oneach face of the table, clamped thereon, and marked, and after all ofthe sides of the table have been thus filled the cloth on the severalsides may be cut according to the patterns marked thereon, the tablebeing turned to bring one side thereof after another upward intoposition for the operation thereon of the cutter or of a cloth-cuttingmachine.

A clamp made as above described has the advantage of great simplicityand cheapness of construction, while affording a secure and reliablemeans of, holding the cloth on the table, owing to the fact that thecurved strip by reason of its resiliency presses on the pile of cloththroughout the entire Width thereof.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated another Way in which a catch may bepivotally connected with the strip. In said figure, Ais the strip, and Ea catch, which is hinged thereto in such manner as to swing about anaxis parallel with the flat face of the strip. The hinged joint in theconstruction shown is formed by a pivot e, which passes through lugs e eon the shank E of the catch, and an eye a in the strip formed by bendingthe end of the same. The shank is provided with an arm E adapted toengage the under side of the table, and with a lever E, which may begrasped by the hand to swing the catch about its pivot in engaging'withand disengaging it from the edge of the table. The clamp shown in Fig.4c is applied to and disengaged from the table in the same manner asbefore described in connection with that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, theonly difference being that the cat-ch is swung or turned in differentdirections in the two cases.

I The clamp device herein described and claimed, while more especiallyintended for plied to the table.

securing cloth to tailors tables, may be employed for many otherpurposesas, for i11- stance, for holding samples on sample-racks.

The form of the clamp shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 has, among otheradvantages, that of being less liable to become unlocked or disengagedby the accidental shifting of the pivoted hook, and for this reason thefeatures of construction shown in said figures are herein claimed asseparate improvements.

It will of course be understood that the spring-strip may be of otherthan fiat form, the use of a flat spring being, however, preferred,inasmuch as this form of spring tends to rest flat on the cloth with itsconvex side downwardly and without liability of turning or springing outof place when being ap- In the use of a strip of other form the hook orcatch, or both, may be so shaped as to retain the strip with its convexside downwardly when applied to the table.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with a flat-topped table :orthe like, a clamp comprising a curved strip of spring metal providedwith a hook at one end and a catch having a pivotal connection with theother end of said strip, substantially as described.

2. A clamp comprising a curved strip of spring metal, a hook at one endof the strip, and a pivoted catch consisting of a shank provided with anarm and handle, the strip being provided with a hole through which theshank of the catch is inserted and in which it turns, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. ERICKSON.

Witnesses:

O. CLARENCE POOLE, GEORGE W. HIGGINS, Jr.

